Air Force Memorial - up close and personal

Last post about the Air Force Memorial, for a while, I promise.

I finally got off 395 and got up close and personal to the Memorial, and I have to say it was pretty cool.

First issue - how to get there. I know it looks a bit unwelcoming from 395 with those barracks (is that what they are?) right there and no signage from the 395. But it's actually quite easy. From 395 -- Merge onto Washington Blvd / VA-27 W via Exit 8A toward VA-244 / Columbia Pike. Turn slight right onto VA-244 / Columbia Pike. The Memorial will be visible on Columbia Pike on your left at One Air Force Memorial Drive, Arlington, VA, 22211. Once you get up to it, there are signs for parking - not an over abundance of parking, but, at least when I was there, it was plenty. The parking is directly across the street from the Memorial.

So, you may not think there is much else you can see that you can't see from the road, and while that technically may be true, it's pretty cool to get right up on it (and underneath it). There's some other stuff there as well - basic memorial stuff - a statue, some quotes, some information. But really the best thing is just getting that close - it makes you want to take all kinds of pictures (which I obligingly did)

So, actually going up to the Memorial gets a thumbs up from me. It's very easy and only takes a few minutes to get off 395 and head over there. I highly recommend it.

More Air Force Memorial

Ok, I know I'm probably overdosing on info about the Air Force Memorial, but I found this review at DCTraveler that I thought was pretty informative:

According to the Air Force Memorial
Foundation’s website, the three spires are intended to “invoke flight and
the flying spirit” and “represent the three core Air Force values of - integrity
first, service before self, and excellence”.
The $30 million memorial also includes a Runway to Glory, a glass “Missing Man” Contemplation Wall, which honors airmen and women who died in service to their country, as well as a bronze Air Force Honor Guard statute.

The original planned location for the memorial was about 200 meters from the Marines (Iwo Jima) Memorial, but was changed to its current location after much controversy and protests from the Marines about its proximity to the Iwo Jima Memorial. Celebrated architect James Ingo Freed, also the designer of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Ronald Reagan building in DC, designed the new memorial.

I promise, I'm going to go soon and check it out for my self - up close and personal -- and then more posts about the Air Force Memorial :-)